This year's Women's History Month theme, "Courageous Voices," reflects how women have been prevented from having a voice in the past and focuses on those women who have demanded to be heard, the director of women studies said.

Unlike past years, the majority of events will be concentrated on the week after National Women's History Month ends, said Lynn Goodstein, director of the Women Studies Program.

Events are taking place then because that is the 10th anniversary of the Women Studies Program at Penn State. Goodstein said history often centers on political and military events and recognizing women's roles helps expands this concept of history.

"Most people's concept of history is knowing dates of wars and dates of presidents," Goodstein said. "Women have not been involved in that kind of history."

"It is important to have a certain time during the year when attention is drawn to contributions of women," said Donna Hughes, instructor of women's studies.

Women's History Month gives people the opportunity to look at history as the record of people's lives instead of memorizing the newsworthy events of governments, she said.

This way of looking at history attempts to include all minority groups that have been excluded from the political process but have nevertheless influenced events, she said.

The Department of Women's Studies is sponsoring the annual Women's History Month film series which continues at 7 Tuesday night in 12 Sparks with "Susana," the autobiography of a Latin American lesbian who leaves her country. The next film in the series, "Mandela," is a portrait of South African activist Nelson Mandela and his wife Winnie.